Thursday
December 24
I love Christmas. It is so much fun. I love everything about it. I love the decorations. I look forward to the music. I enjoy the bombardment of Christmas TV Specials and Christmas movies. But I especially love the worship.
Angela and I were very intentional about making sure our children understood the true meaning of Christmas. We didn’t want them to be sidetracked by the bombardment of secular focus. And we definitely didn’t want to take Christ out of Christmas. Did you know they are calling them “Holiday” cards now?
One of the things we did to help keep the focus on Christ was the observance of a Nativity-based Advent Calendar. Each day of December, we would open up the door to discover what part of the Manger scene would be added to the picture.
When Hannah was only two or three years old, it was her day to pull out the little ornament that would hang on the hooks on the board. She opened the door, and there was a precious little lamb. As she took the ornament and began to hang it on a hook, she went straight for the hook reserved for Jesus and the manger.
We all laughed; one of the children said, “That’s where Jesus goes, not the lamb.” As we thought about the humor of the situation, all of a sudden our minds were reminded of a special verse of Scripture.
“And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.” Rev 5:11-12 (KJV)
Needless to say, we celebrated Christmas with the lamb on the manger that year. And every year we still think back to that special day. And we take our place at the foot of a throne shaped like a manger worshipping the precious lamb who was slain for the sins of the world.
Dear God,
We thank you for the fact that Jesus was born with the very purpose to save us from our sins. Help us to see the cross even as we celebrate the manger.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.